Theory and Methods- Modernity and Postmodernity Flashcards
What does modernity refer to?
The industrial world that began to emerge in Western Europe in the late 18th century
What did modernity bring about? (3 points)
Mass production
Urbanisation
State bureaucracy
What is thinking like in modernity? (3 points)
Ordered, rational and scientific
What was seen as the answer in modernity?
Science rather than religion
What do modernist sociological theories aim to do?
To investigate the world scientifically and explain why societies have evolved to be the way they are, and why they’re arranged in the way they are
What are modernist theories?
Structuralist theories such as Marxism and functionalism
What are modernist theories also called?
Metanarratives (stories that make sense of other stories)
What are metanarratives?
Big, all-encompassing theories that try to find certain answers to questions
What do modernist theories like Marxism claim?
A monopoly of truth
What do postmodernists argue?
Society has progressed from modernity
How has work changed according to postmodernists?
Work has become more flexible and service industries have partly taken over from manufacturing industries
How has consumption changed according to postmodernists?
There’s an emphasis on consumption of cultural products
How have culture and roles changed according to postmodernists?
There’s a pluralism of culture and roles- people interpret society and their own identities in different ways according to the circumstances they’re in
How has globalisation caused a change in society according to postmodernists?
It has affected both production and communication which has made boundaries between states less important
What are the three ways that globalisation has changed society?
- Globalisation of consumption and culture
- Technology has improved communication between countries
- A more global economy with many transnational corperations
What do postmodernists argue about how sociology has moved?
Sociology has moved into a time when metanarratives can’t answer all the questions about the social world
What do postmodernists say about theories in today’s society?
There’s a whole range of competing theories out there which all have something to say about society
Why do postmodernists argue that there are many theories?
No one theory can claim a monopoly of the truth
What is a relativist approach?
All versions of the truth are true for the people who believe in them
What does Lyotard argue?
Sociology moving to a new time has important consequences for our understanding of language as instead of one overall language of words and their set meanings, there is just a series of ‘language games’
What does language games mean?
The meaning of a word depends on the way someone uses it
What does Baudrillard say about postmodern society?
Postmodern society is more about consumption than production
What does Baudrillard focus on?
How we consume signs
Why does Baudrillard argue that signs don’t relate to real things in postmodern society?
Because we have no agreed definition of what is real any more- we consume these signs (‘simulacra’) even though they’re actually meaningless
What is ‘hyper-reality’ according to Baudrillard?
A complete inability to tell what is real from what is not, so that the simulacra take over from reality
How is Baudrillard criticise the media?
He says that television is one of the main causes of hyper-reality, confusing what is real with representations of reality
Why does Baudrillard say that we’ve lost our ability to improve society?
As we’ve lost our ability to tell what’s real
Why is postmodernism criticised for emphasising the role of culture and media in driving the creation of identities, norms and values?
People no longer seek one answer to life but are happy to pick and choose values and identities
How do action theorists criticise postmodernism?
For largely ignoring the interactions between individuals
How do structuralists criticise postmodernism?
For ignoring the relationships between social institutions
How do Marxists criticise postmodernism?
For ignoring inequalities
How does Harvey criticise Baudrillard?
Argues that Baudrillard is too pessimistic about our inability to change society for the better
How is postmodernism criticised for theories appearing to contradict themselves?
Postmodernists claim that no one theory can claim a monopoly of truth, so postmodernist theories surely can’t do that either
What does Giddens argue?
We’re actually in a state of ‘late modernity’
What is late modernity?
A continuation of modernity, not a break from it
How are changes to work, consumption and culture accelerated in late modernity according to Giddens?
Reflexivity and disembedding
What is reflexivity?
We constantly reflect upon ourselves and our actions and modify them accordingly
What is disembedding?
We interact with one another without meeting face to face
How is late modernity a state with high risks?
Of war, economic collapse or environmental disaster
What is a juggernaut?
A massive force which we can collectively try to direct but which could go out of control
How does Giddens disagree with postmodernists about our ability to solve problems?
He believes we are capable of rational thinking which we can use to make plans and reduce risks
What does Beck believe?
We are becoming more individualised and therefore becoming even more reflexive as we have to take more responsibility for our own actions and their consequences
What is risk-consciousness?
We seek to minimise the risk of bad consequences
How can society be improved according to Beck?
Because we can minimise risks on a political scale
